The Philadelphia 76ers were raked over the coals for trading away Jared McCain. Less than six months later, the trade now looks like a win for Philly - and it's the gift that keeps on giving.
Drafting a player as talented as Jared McCain was a coup with the 16th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Duke guard started his rookie season on fire, scoring and passing and shooting and dazzling. Then he suffered a season-ending injury, a bucket of cold water on his rocket launch.
When he came back for his second season, it took him a while to get his sea legs under him. During that slow start, rookie VJ Edgecombe firmly claimed the starting shooting guard spot. There was no room for McCain.
The 76ers traded away Jared McCain
Daryl Morey therefore decided to trade him away for a package of one first-round pick and a handful of seconds. The move got the team under the luxury tax line and brought back assets for a player who was going to be coming off the bench.
Morey was ripped by the media and fans for the move, and it certainly didn't look good when McCain was playing big minutes in the Western Conference Finals for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was certainly a contributing factor to Morey being fired this spring.
Fast forward a few months, however, and now the value is swinging back toward the 76ers. That first-round pick landed at No. 22 in a strong draft, and Alabama point guard Labaron Philon fell to the 76ers. In the eyes of many, he is a similar level of talent to McCain, and on an inexpensive rookie-scale contract for the next four years, two more than McCain would be.
Those savings are not merely interesting facts, either. The Sixers have a host of expensive contracts on their books, so having cost-controlled rotation players is a must. What's more, the locked-in savings from Philon made it a lot easier to make the Jaylen Brown trade.
McCain unlocked the Brown trade
A major reason why the 76ers were able to buy low on an All-NBA player like Brown was his massive contract. The 76ers were able to take that on, in part, because of inexpensive young players such as Edgecombe and Philon. By the time Brown's current contract expires, Philon will still be on his rookie deal. McCain would already be starting a new extension.
The 76ers also put to use some of the second-round picks they got in the McCain trade to sweeten the pot and get the Brown deal done. Those are assets they would not have had were McCain still on the team.
While McCain was certainly great for the Thunder, he still would have faced the problem of coming off the bench in Philly. Now they have a big, two-way starter in Brown who fits what they need, and they have a rookie in Philon who is lighting up summer league and can be in place at a bargain for the next four years.
The McCain trade was controversial, but the returns have been exceptional for Philadelphia over the last few weeks. And in part, the 76ers have Jared McCain to thank for landing Jaylen Brown.
